Why it works: Butter and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 41,516 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Scotch Collops
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the veal
Cut the veal into thin, round pieces about 3 inches wide.
Beat the veal with a rolling pin.
Grate a little nutmeg over the veal.
Dip the veal in the egg yolk.
Cook and serve
Fry the veal in butter until golden brown.
In a separate pan, mix the gravy with flour and butter until smooth.
Add the egg yolk, cream, and salt to the sauce, stirring until thickened.
Serve the sauce warm over the collops.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Cream + nutmegtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,920 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Veal
- Forms the main meat portion, cooked tender when beaten thin and fried quickly.
- Egg yolk
- Enriches the sauce and helps it thicken and turn smooth and rich.
- Butter
- Fat for frying the veal, adding flavour and golden browning.
- Flour
- Thickens the gravy into a smooth sauce by absorbing liquid as it heats.
- Cream
- Adds richness and smoothness to the sauce, softening its texture.
The step that matters
Adding the egg yolk to the sauce. Egg yolk can curdle or scramble if it gets too hot. Stir it in gently over low heat and keep the sauce from boiling so it thickens smoothly.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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